Lord of the Dark Lake

Set on an isolated private Greek island and echoing siren choruses from classical mythology, Faust's imaginative fifth novel (after Fugitive Moon, 1995) roils with Oedipal passion. When young American archeologist Jay Chandler is summoned by his mentor, the fabulously wealthy Alexander Krisos, to excavate and restore the ruins of the ancient temple of Poseidon, he finds himself the unwitting pawn in a diabolical reenactment of a classic Greek tragedy. Goaded into diving off a cliff and fighting a bull, Jay is driven to confront his demons through exercises of self-examination. At the annual, week-long orgiastic party at the exotic estate of the malevolent and egomaniacal Greek tycoon, a series of seemingly unrelated deaths stir explosive tensions among the guests. Pursued by Krisos's daughter, whom Jay considers a sister, the archeologist is caught up in a maelstrom of conflicting loyalties. When the party culminates in a theatrical reenactment of Theseus's duel with the Minotaur staged deep within the island's labyrinthine network of caves, Jay and other characters are brought to a final moments of truth. Confirming Faust as a novelist to be reckoned with, this intricate omnium-gatherum, told in chiseled prose, seduces the reader with both wit and passion. (Aug.)